As I watched I was astonished at the number of people who were involved indirectly or passively enabled his predatory behavior. Grown adults recruiting younger girls for him at the mall, concerts, etc., grown adults who forged a marriage license so he could marry a 15 year old girl, grown adults who were arranging flights, transportation, and hotel stays to house young girls for this sexual deviant….sighs… Out of all of these people, not one adult had the moral fiber or basic human decency to say something? Did no one care about these girls?

I don’t think it was something I thought about previously. I’d been so focused on R. Kelly as a predator I failed to realize as a celebrity, he needed assistance to continuously do this for over 20 years. As I watched in horror at these adults attempting to purge their guilt by sharing their stories I became so angry. They knew what was happening and said nothing because of a check. It made me want to scream out in frustration and cry tears of absolute weariness. This man had an entire team of people helping him rape and abuse women for over 2 decades! I feel like a broken record…DOES ANYONE CARE ENOUGH ABOUT BLACK GIRLS?

I love being a black woman. I love what we are made of; incredible strength, resilience, courage and the capacity to love in spite of the hate spewed towards us. I love our opinions, our sass, we have spice! Our beauty is unmatched, we are uniquely and divinely made, so many different hues of beauty and style. There are so many things that make me proud to be both black and woman. However, it’s time to grab my sisters by the hand and usher them into the meeting room. It’s time to have a real conversation amongst the “sistahs”. We have some work to do, some problems to address and real issues to confront. Come have a seat at the table…

Kawana N. Williams is a native Chicagoan and the author of, “Coming to My Crossroads", a memoir about her diagnosis of and struggles with ovarian cancer. She is currently a licensed Professional counselor with the State of Illinois and a second year doctoral student at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Today she is our guest blogger and has some important reflections on Beyoncé's visual album, Lemonade and Jay Z's recent release, 4:44.

The beginning of a new year is an opportunity to redefine yourself and your life. We often use the beginning of the year as a time of reflection and planning. This past weekend I was invited to a Vision Board party by a dear friend who also happens to be the most fabulous hostess! She had 12 amazing women over to her home for an evening full of fabulous food, cocktails, laughter, great conversation and vision planning. Our question was simple, what do you want for yourself in the New Year?